Cork man shoplifting ‘to pay for his addiction’ jailed

A 45-year-old man with a catalogue of shoplifting convictions carried out “to pay for his heroin and crack cocaine addiction” was jailed on Thursday for 11 months for his latest spree of stealing from shops in Cork city.

Edward Daly of 8 Inchera Lawn, Mahon, Cork, has 100 previous convictions, 55 of them for theft, Sergeant Aisling Murphy said at Cork District Court.

He was given the total sentence of 11 months for what Judge Mary Dorgan described as a recent batch of offences and an earlier batch of offences between February and November 2024.

“He has been all over the city,” said Judge Dorgan.

“He has been in Mahon and Hollyhill, he has been in both shopping centres in Douglas, but in particular he has been in the Mahon/Blackrock area.”

Many of the offences occurred also at premises in the city centre.

“When you add up all the money involved it is quite sizable.

“There is a considerable loss to shopkeepers,” she said.

Defence solicitor Thomas Coughlan said of the accused: “He is extremely polite and never rises to a challenge. He is docile and always cooperative.

“His behaviour was part of panoply in feeding his addiction. He understands the retailers of Cork suffered a loss as a result of his addiction.

“He is visibly improved since going into prison last week.”

The defendant said by video link from prison: “Being put into prison is helping me to get into treatment faster.”

Judge Dorgan acknowledged a very difficult background for the accused but said she had to balance that with the extensive losses experienced by shopkeepers.

Garda Tim O’Callaghan said that the accused, by his own admission, had an addiction to heroin and crack cocaine.

He added that gardaí were concerned that the accused man would commit further theft offences to pay for these addictions.

The latest seven theft charges refer to Lidl on Clashduv Rd, Togher, Cork, on June 6; Aldi on Skehard Rd, Cork, on June 27 and again on July 1; on that same date, Tesco in Paul St shopping centre; Scally’s SuperValu on Skehard Rd on May 29, and Tesco in Mahon Point shopping centre on July 11 and on July 17.

Sergeant John Dineen said that some of the alleged thefts were of small amounts of property. However, in respect of Tesco at Paul St, it is alleged that €247 worth of items were stolen and that in Tesco, Mahon Point, €238 worth of bottles of alcohol was stolen on another occasion.